Industrial washer



July 9, 1940. m N 2,207,452

INDUSTRIAL WASHER v 7 Filed July 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 721 4 9116,; Zi izz gwazz.

W, yfafl e A TTORNE ya INDUSTRIAL WASHER I Filed July 14, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11v VNTOR fkfierza% 72 34727402 Patented July 9, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE 2,207,452 mnus'rnmr. WASHER Application July 14, 1938 Serial No. 219,209

zclaims.

This invention relates to industrial washers. The main objects of this invention are to provide' a washer in which the washing liquid is heated by circulation of hot air; to provide a washer in which heated air is circulated in the compartment containingthe article to be washed, and the washing fluid is heated by the hot air as the liquid is sprayed on the article being washed; to provide an industrial washer particularly adapted for use in rust-proofing processes wherein the liquid contains chemicals which produce scale on steam pipes used at present to heat the rust-proofing liquid; to provide a washer which will operate indefinitely without any loss of or decrease in efilciency; to provide an arrangement of washer in which the action of the rust-proofing liquid is accelerated due to the heating of the articles before the fluid comes in contact therewith; and to provide an industrial washer which is economically usable on a continuous conveyor line without interruption for cleaning, over a long period of time.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal vertical section of a battery of three washers arranged with a covering hood on a continuous conveyor line.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through the middle of a washing unit and showing one type of air heating apparatus at one side of the washing compartment and a different type of air heating means at the opposite side thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing two other kinds of air heating apparatuses.

At the present time there is quite extensive use of industrial washers in automobile plants and other factories .wheresheet metal is used in large quantities, and where it is desired to rust- 40 proof the metal. This is usually accomplished by first washing the metal with soda solution to thoroughly cleanse all grease and dirt from the surfaceof the metal. It is then passed into a compartment where it is sprayed with a rustproofing liquid. Thereafter it is washed with hot water to remove the chemicals and stop further reaction with the metal.

In all of these rust-proofing processes, the 0 chemical action on the metal is accelerated by heating the rust-proofing liquid at the time it is applied. This has heretofore been done by means of banks of steam pipes which are submerged in a tank or sump at the bottom of the compartment where the articles are being sprayed and (01. men

into which the sprayed liquid drains and accumulates.

Due to the inherent nature of the liquid whch is being heated by the steam pipes, the chemicals therein form a scale on the steam pipes very rapidly, and this scale continues to grow or build up until it gets of such thickness as to seriously affect the emciency of the-unit by preventing the transfer of heat from the steam to the rustproofing liquid. m It is then necessary to remove the steam pipes from the tank or sump and clean the same or replace with new pipes. This formation of scale on the steam heating pipes is a very serious problem and entails great expense and trouble, as 15 well as shut down of the washing units during the time required for cleaning or replacing of the steam pipes.

In the present invention all of these troubles heretofore encountered have been eliminated by 5 causing a circulation of hot air in the washing compartment so that-the rust-proofing liquid is heated between the time that it emerges from the spray pipes and the time it contacts the articles being washed. The hot air also heats up the articles being washed prior to the time that the heated liquid contacts it with the result that a very pronounced acceleration in the action of the rust-proofing liquid has been observed.

With this arrangement, the heating process 30 is just reversed from that heretofore in use. That is to say, instead of the air in the washing compartment cooling the rust-proofing liquid so that it has to be reheated, in the present invention the liquid tends to cool the air which is then reheated so as to again heat the sprayed liquid when it is circulated through the washing compartment.

In the construction shown in the drawings, a series of three units, generally designated 6, 8 and It, are shown in spaced aligned relation and 40 covered at their tops and sides by a sheet metal housing. The roof I2 of which, as well as the side walls It, extend beyond the ends of the units and are inclined downwardly, as shown in Fig. l, to form a hood over the triple washing unit so that hot 'air therein will be confined within the hood and not escape through the open ends thereof through which the conveyor line passes in and out of the unit. Stacks it are provided adjacent the lower opposite ends of the washer for conducting away steam and fumes which may be formed within the washer.

. Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the washer comprises a washing compartment it having a y horizontally disposed roof i2, and vertically disposed depending outer side walls 28 and 22 which lation to its adjacent outer side wall 28, thereby forming the air heating compartment 24. The

upper and lower ends of the inner partition 28,-

which forms a common wall between the air heating and washing compartments, terminate short of the roof and of a lower wall 38, so as to provide air passageways at 32 and 34, thus'providing communication between the compartments l8 and 24 at the upper and lower ends thereof.

Means are provided for heating the air within the compartment 24 and comprise an open flame gaseous fuel burner generally designated 36 which has an inverted V-shaped baflle 38 thereover for protecting the flame from liquid which may condense out of the air being heated and which otherwise would drip down on to the open flame and might thereby extinguish the same. The baille=38 is supported by horizontally disposed transversely extending spaced bars 48, the opposite ends of which areattached to the adjacent side walls 28 and 26. H

The washing compartment I8 is provided closely adjacent the underside of the roof thereof with a conveyor track 42 which supports carriers 44 for articles 46 which are treated in the washer. The compartment 18 is also provided, preferably at each side thereof, with a plurality of spray pipes 48 from which the liquid, either wash water, chemical rust-proofing liquids, or rinsing waters, may be sprayed on to the articles 46 as they pass through the washing units 6, 8 and HI.-

An inner partition wall 68 is also provided similar to the inner wall 28, and is in'spaced relation to the outer wall 22, thus forming the air heating compartment 26, although in many instances one air heating compartment at one side of the unit is suflicient. The air in the, heating compartment 26 in this instance is heated by an electric heating unit generally designated 52, and the action is the same as in the heating compartment 24, that is to say, the air heated therein travels upwardly and thence through an opening 54 into the upper portion of the washing com- 1 partment l8. As it comes in contact with the liquid being sprayed from the pipes 48, transfer of heat takes place and the cooled air goes to the bottom of the washing compartment and is then drawn outwardly through the openings 34 and 66. The lower end of the heating compartment 26 is closed by a wall 58 in the same manner as the lower end of the heating compartment 24.

The unit as a whole, comprising inner and outer side walls, roof and bottom walls, is mounted upon and over a centrally located sump or reservoir, generally designated 68, in which the liquid which is sprayed on the articles, drains and is collected, and from which it is pumped back to the spray pipes 48.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the air in the compartment .24 is heated by a bank or series'of steam pipes 62, and the air in the heating compartment 26 is heated by a plurality of flue pipes 64. v

In this-view is also shown a.-liq'uid pump 66 of a centrifugal type which has an intake opening 68 to the. tank 68 and which is driven by an electric motor 18.. A discharge pipe 12 from the pump 66 leads to and communicates with pipes 14 which extend through the roof l2, and supply fluid to header pipes 16. The spray pipes 46 connect to the header pipes 16.

In the operation of this washing unit, articles are brought into and passed through the washing compartments l8 by the endless conveyor, as

is usual in production work of this character. Liquid is pumped out of the sump or tank 68, whether it be a soda solution for cleaning the metal, a chemical solution for processing the metal, or a plain rinse water for taking off chemical solutions.

As the liquid is pumped out of the tank 68 and into the supply pipes 14, header pipe I6 and spray pipe 48, it is sprayed on to the articles 46 carried 'by' the conveyor line and between the time that the liquid leaves the spray pipe 46' and the time that itcontacts the articles 46, it is heated by the circulating hot air which is passing down through the washing compartment out through the passageways 34 and 56 at the bottom thereof and being reheated by any one of the types of units illustrated, or by some other suitable means for heating the air. The heated air will then pass up through the heating compartments into the washing compartments through the intake passageways 32 and '54 where it again contacts the sprayed liquid and gives up its heat thereto.

In this manner, the liquid in the tank 68 is raised in temperature so that the liquid is already quite hot at the time that it emerges from the spray pipes and the supply of liquid in the tank 68 is maintained at a relatively high temperature.

In the use of the open flame gas fuel burner 36, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the heating of the air will continue for an indefinite period of time without any loss whatever of eillciency in the unit. With respect to the steam pipe heaters 62 and flue pipe heaters 64, these pipes when used with a rust-proofing liquid will have a very to the liquid being carried in the air as it passes in an updraft therearound, but the major portion of the liquid will have been drained out of the air and therefore the pipes are subjected to very little of the scale forming action, as compared to heating pipes which are submerged in the tank of liquid, as has heretofore been the practice.

Although but one specific embodiment of this slight tendency to become coated with scale due invention and slight modifications thereof have compartments having communication therebetween adjacent their upper and lower portions, means for heating air-in said heating compartment whereby the heated air circulates in said washing compartment to thereby heat the compartments having a common wall 'therebetween, said wall having openings adjacent the top and bottom thereof providing communication therebetween, and means in said heating compartment for heating the air therein to thereby create a circulation of heated air entering said washing compartment at the top thereof,

relatively cool air to be drawn out of said washing compartment at the bottom thereof and a conveyor for moving articles to be washed, into and through said washing compartment.

FREDERICK P. BINGMAN. 

